The Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA), United Lao for Democracy and Human Rights (ULDHR), the Lao Human Rights
Council (LHRC), the United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc. (ULDL), the Laos Institute for Democracy (LIFD), and a
coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are criticizing the government of Laos for its failure to cooperate
with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Laos regarding an attempted American investigation into the
disappearance in January of three Lao-American men from the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Reports about the Lao government’s
efforts to obstruct the U.S. investigation about the whereabouts and status of the three missing Americans from
Minneapolis and St. Paul are being reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA), family members, and others today.

“The disappearance of the three Lao-Americans is troubling to all Laotian people and we are concerned that the Lao
government is deeply involved in a major cover-up about this case by blocking, and not allowing, the U.S. Embassy and
international community from finding the full truth of what has really happened to these missing Americans,” stated Boon
Boualaphanh, President of the Minnesota-based ULDHR. “Now, we are very concerned about the ongoing disappearance of
civic activist Sombath Somphone as well as the three Lao-Americans from Minnesota; Clearly, they should all be returned
to their families, if alive or dead, immediately.” http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1303/S00009/three-lao-americans-from-minnesota-missing-in-laos.htm

“It is deplorable that the Lao government, including key communist party officials, are not cooperating with the U.S.
Embassy in Laos as well as independent journalists, family members, and non-governmental organizations who are all
seeking concrete answers into the recent disappearance in Southern Laos, of three Lao-American men from Minnesota’s Twin
Cities,” said Philip Smith, Executive Director of the CPPA in Washington, D.C.

Smith stated further: “The three Lao-American from Minnesota were last seen in Laos on January 6th and appear to have
gone missing under mysterious circumstance involving the Lao secret police and military who, we believe, extrajudically
arrested the group without charges ; We have received credible reports that the three Americans may have been met with
violence and deadly force by the Lao police and military when traveling in the Keng Kok area of Savannakhet Province,
Laos.”

“Brutal and corrupt elements of the Lao security services, including the secret police, military and communist party
apparatus, appear to be seeking to cover-up what has happened to these three Americans who have gone missing in
Savannakhet Province and are now feared dead in Laos,” Smith stated. “We have new information that the three
Lao-Americans from Minnesota were apparently subject to arrest, police brutality and extortion by corrupt elements of
the Lao police and military who are seeking to hide their abuses of the American men .”

“A disturbing pattern of egregious human rights violations, ethnic and religious persecution, official corruption and
state-sponsored extrajudicial killings, including targeted killings, has once again reemerged in Laos with full force
under the current Marxist regime in Vientiane,” concluded Smith.

Three bodies were recently found in a burnt out van in Southern Laos, one of whom was reportedly identified as Souli
Kongmalavong, of Minnesota, by a relative in Laos.

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